A drugs gang was brought to justice thanks to footage from the home CCTV system of one of its members, police have revealed.
Detectives said the movements of Usman Yousuf, Mohammed Majeed and Azaan Tariq were captured and recorded on Yousuf's cameras. As all three start jail sentences, police said the 'incriminating' footage gave them 'an insight into their criminal enterprise' in Rochdale.
An investigation into the trio by Greater Manchester Police's Serious Organised Crime Group uncovered 23 kilos of cocaine and more than £15,000 in cash.
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Yousef and Majeed were captured arriving at Yousef's home and leaving with a large blue holdall later dropped off at a shipping container in Rochdale. Tariq, meanwhile, was recorded on Yousef's CCTV camera 'coming and going' from the property with large, heavy carrier bags, police added.
At Manchester Crown Court on Friday, Yousuf, 31, of Ashton Gardens, Rochdale, was sentenced to 12 years in jail; Majeed, 30, of Hawthorn Road, Rochdale, was sentenced to nine years and ten months and Tariq, 20, of Convent Grove, Rochdale, was sentenced to three years and four months. All three pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
In a statement after conviction, GMP said: "Unfortunately for the trio, their movements had been captured by Usman Yousuf's own CCTV cameras, incriminating them, and giving police an insight into their criminal enterprise."
On Friday, July 22, last year, at around 8pm, the footage showed Yousuf arriving home with a large, heavy, blue holdall.
An hour later, Majeed was seen arriving at the same address then leaving with the blue holdall, which he was seen dropping off at the shipping container later the same night.
Police swooped on Yousuf's home three days later. Receipts showing large cash deposits and drugs paraphernalia 'consistent with a large-scale drug operation including food bags and scales bearing residue identified as cocaine' were found in his car, GMP added.
"Almost £15,000 cash and nine large bags of cocaine were also seized from his car," said the force in the statement. "The search of his house uncovered more cash hidden away and multiple phones. It was in Yousuf's house that officers were able to seize the CCTV footage.
Phones and sim cards connecting Majeed to the conspiracy were later found at his home, together with more than £500 hidden in a cushion. The holdall in the shipping container, meanwhile, was found to contain 23 kilograms of cocaine valued at around £700,000.
Days later, a search of Tariq's home led to multiple hidden mobile phones. "A subsequent examination of their mobile phones detailed their conversations, movements, and drug supply across Rochdale," added the force.
Detective Inspector Roger Smethurst said: "The sentencings come as a result of months of hard work by detectives who launched an investigation as part of GMP's continued crackdown on drug supply in the region which blights our local communities.
"Drugs on the streets can have a huge effect on communities and are often a catalyst for serious crime due to drug disputes, and the sentencings are another step forward in disrupting serious, organised crime and removing dangerous individuals off our streets."
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